It's a painful thing to face. The NBA playoffs officially kicked off yesterday with the start of first-round action, and the Golden State Warriors are on the outside looking in.
After a miraculous comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers, their offense went completely cold against the Phoenix Suns in their win-or-go-home matchup. They must now spend the offseason looking into the mirror and determining what they need to do to contend next season.
Thankfully, they'll get some consolation with their upcoming lottery selection. Even if things don't fall their way in the Draft Lottery, they are slated to select at 11th overall. In a draft class that's full to the brim with talent, they should be able to add an impactful contributor even at that slot.
But with the first round series between the Suns and the Thunder slated to start today, they'll soon get even further consolation for their loss. As impressive as Phoenix has been relative to their pre-season expectations, they frankly don't stand a chance against a team as connected as Oklahoma City.
The Warriors would likely have fared no better, and they'll soon get to see why their defeat in the Play-In Tournament may ultimately have been their best outcome.
The eight-seed never truly stood a chance against the Oklahoma City Thunder
Golden State's loss wasn't crushing in the context of a single-game matchup. Frankly, that was the expected outcome for the Warriors' season given how the roster shaped up towards the end of the campaign. But it's truly painful to reflect upon how the year could have gone with Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry fully healthy.
The Suns, for their part, have been highly impressive this season. One year after missing the playoffs entirely and shipping off a superstar in Kevin Durant, they finished with a 45-37 record and the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They formulated a new, scrappy identity under first-year head coach Jordan Ott, and it's paid dividends.
But Oklahoma City is a different beast entirely. Although they've struggled with injuries this season, they have a ridiculous 30.9 net rating this season with their preferred starters on the court, per Databallr. All five are healthy and rested heading into the playoffs.
They were first in the NBA in defensive rating, and they're far and away the favorites to win the championship.
Although the Suns' 3-point shooting can make the series competitive, it should ultimately be an easy job for the Thunder.
Even with a player of Curry's caliber, it likely would have been the same story for the Warriors. As Golden State's hypothetical first-round matchup kicks off today without them, it's important to keep that in mind.
It doesn't fix everything that went wrong this season. But a lottery selection and an entire offseason to reshape the roster and get back to full strength certainly looks strong in comparison to the beating the Suns are about to receive, depending on your perspective.
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